Heat, city celebrate first title

Chad ConantPublished: June 24, 2006 12:00AM

By TIM REYNOLDS
Associated Press
MIAMI Shaquille ONeal had the microphone, which meant the public address announcer had little chance of getting a word in edgewise.
This was Shaqs moment, the one he promised two years ago. He rapped. He led cheers. He chanted one more year to Alonzo Mourning, wholl contemplate retirement. And he wasnt done, either.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ONeal said when someone tried to interrupt him as the Miami Heats championship rally started Friday afternoon. We all know Coach Rileys a great motivator. Who wants to see Coach Riley dance? Who wants to see Coach Riley dance? Give me some, Riley!
With that, Pat Riley danced.
Miamis newly crowned NBA champions hoisted the trophy in South Florida on Friday in front of an estimated 250,000 fans, fulfilling an 11-year quest by Riley and the vow ONeal made when, as his first formal act as a member of the Heat, he said, I will bring a championship to Miami.
That championship is here, after the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in six games for the title.
Thats something you cant experience until you win it all, finals MVP Dwyane Wade said after the parade. Our fans have been great. That experience right there was, just like Zo said, overwhelming. I wanted to go again.
Maybe he will soon.
While Friday was about celebrating 2006, questions are already being asked about 2007.
Specifically, can the Heat repeat?
Yes, because Dwyane Wade keeps getting better, said Laurenn Webster, 19, a student from Coral Gables.
And hes already the best, chimed in twin sister Lindsay, who donned a new Wade jersey at the parade.
Barring unforeseen shake-ups, most of this team is coming back, so repeat talk is inevitable.
Wade and ONeal are likely to be under contract here four more seasons; thats how long ONeal has left on his deal, and Wade becomes eligible July 1 for a long-term extension that will pay him at least $75 million.
The other starters Udonis Haslem, Antoine Walker and Jason Williams all have multiyear deals still in place; Williams, however, will decide next week when to schedule surgery to relieve tendinitis in his knee.
I dont want to, Williams said, but I told the doctor today Im going to let him know when I can do it.
James Posey, who hit some big shots in the Game 6 clincher and emerged as a huge spark in the playoff run, can choose to become a free agent, but may return. Gary Payton has repeatedly said he plans to re-sign, saying he spent 16 years chasing a title and now wants to defend one.
Riley and Mourning arent so certain.
Riley, 61, acknowledges the season drained him; when a rumor he was stepping aside popped up in April, he issued a terse statement vowing to return, but was largely noncommittal when the subject came up Friday.
Dont ask me that, Riley said. Next. Please. I love you but I cant answer that right now.
And Mourning clearly can still play, given his eight-point, six-rebound, five-block, all-dramatic effort in the Game 6 clincher over the Mavericks. He hasnt made any plan official, and given how valuable he was when ONeal was in foul trouble or injured this season, Miami may try to coax the fan favorite into another return.
Obviously, this would be the best way to go out on top, Mourning said. It truly would. At the same time, everybody is talking about weve got to defend our title.
The festivities started with a parade and ended with a rally outside the AmericanAirlines Arena where a huge team picture with the word Champions across the front was unveiled during the party.
Some fans arrived in the early morning hours, ensuring theyd get a good look as the team passed by.
The best. The best, said Heat owner Micky Arison, as his son, Nicholas, cradled the trophy along the route. Its unbelievable.
There was a large police presence standard for an event of this magnitude but plans were not affected by Thursdays arrests of seven men accused of plotting a terror attack against Chicagos Sears Tower and a federal building in Miami. Most of the arrests took place in Miamis Liberty City neighborhood.
No arrests were reported; 65 people suffered heat-related problems, police said.
Heat fans conducted themselves extremely well throughout the playoffs and the championship and the parade today, Miami Police spokesman Delrish Moss said. Its a model that all cities should strive for.
Fans waved Heat championship placards, strained for photos and pointed at the new championship banners hanging along the sides of Biscayne Boulevard the major thoroughfare running through downtown.
After 18 years of waiting, the quest was finally over.
This is the best, said Riley, now a seven-time NBA champion. For so many reasons, it just is.